CSARS Group MAF Projects

CSARS Group Mutual Aid Facilitation (MAF) Recovery Projects have been delivered in partnership with Welsh Government, Shropshire Council and local services to provide support for individuals who are experiencing substance-misuse problems relating to alcohol and other drugs.

The 13-week courses introduce participants to recovery through weekly group sessions and also facilitate their attendance at local Mutual Aid (MA) group meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and SMART Recovery. The course draws on a variety of resources, including the literature of MA groups, Making Alcoholics Anonymous Easier (MAAEZ), and other population specific recovery-supporting literature. It also draws extensively on the findings of the Higher Power project which demonstrate that members of Twelve Step Fellowships interpret key concepts in personal ways. Topics covered in workshops include:

Characteristics of substance-misuse and recovery

The range of MA options, programmes and resources

Accessible and inclusive interpretations of MA language and concepts

Negotiating the spiritual language of 12 Step programmes

Alternative and secular versions of 12 Step programmes

Recovery practices such as ‘exploring denial’, ‘living in the day’, ‘acceptance’ and ‘gratitude’

Grieving the losses accrued from problematic substance use

Managing emotions and relationships

Taking advantage of the help and support available from MA Groups, and becoming a participating member, including facilitated and accompanied access to local MA groups

Developing Individual Recovery Plans

The projects are community-based and designed for people wanting to try to achieve abstinence-based recovery. To date (Nov 2018) 14 projects have been completed in North Wales and Shropshire and these have been attended by 260 participants.